Method and arrangement for monitoring a medical appliance

• US 20070233206A1
• Filed: 03/28/2007
• Published: 10/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Roche Diabetes Care Inc. (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Disetronic Licensing Ag
• Inventors: Frikart, Marcel, Jungen, Markus
• Application Number:
  US11/729,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20070233206A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 607/60
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3553 remote, e.g. between patient's home and doctor's office
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3569 sublocal, e.g. between console and disposable
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3584 using modem, internet or bluetooth
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/3592 using telemetric means, e.g. radio or optical transmission
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2230/201 Glucose concentration
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14244 adapted to be carried by the patient, e.g. portable on the body
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/172 electrical or electronic A61M5/16804, A61M5/16831 take precedence

Abstract

A medical device adapted to transmit messages via a communication network to a communication device, forwarding the same or another message via the same or another communication network to a further communication device, and a method including producing a message in the medical device, transmitting the message to the communication device and forwarding the same or another message to another communication device, whereby the medical device may be remotely monitored.

Claims

1. A medical device adapted to transmit messages via a communication network to a communication device, the communication device adapted to send the same or another message via the same or another communication network to a further communication device.

2. The medical device according to claim 1, wherein the medical device is one of an insulin pump, a blood sugar meter or a continuously or quasi-continuously operating sensor.

3. The medical device according to claim 2, wherein the communication device is one of a telephone or a pager.

4. The medical device according to claim 3, wherein message sending is automatic and is initiated by the medical device.

5. A method comprising the steps of producing a message in a medical device, transmitting the message to a communication device and sending the same or another message to another communication device, whereby the medical device may be remotely monitored.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein message sending is automatic and is initiated by the medical device.

7. The medical device according to claim 6, wherein the medical device is one of an insulin pump, a blood sugar meter or a continuously or quasi-continuously operating sensor.

8. A method for monitoring a medical appliance, comprising the following steps:

producing a message in the medical appliance,

transmitting the message wirelessly via a short range radio link to a communication appliance which is designed for wireless connection setup to a telephone or radio paging network, and

forwarding the message via the telephone or radio paging network to a further wireless communication appliance connected to the same telephone or radio paging network.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the medical appliance is an insulin pump and produces messages on the basis of at least one of a pump alarm, a bolus release or another pump event.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the medical appliance is a blood sugar meter and produces messages on the basis of at least one of blood sugar measured values or a meter event.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the medical appliance is a continuously or quasi-continuously operating sensor.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the insulin pump produces a message on the basis of a blood sugar measured value which has been sent to the insulin pump previously.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the measured value was sent via a short range radio link from a blood sugar meter to the insulin pump.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first communication appliance is a wireless telephone or a pager.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the wireless telephone has the properties of a computer.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein the telephone network is a GSM network, a UMTS network or another network and the radio paging network is a POCSAG network or another network.

17. The method according to claim 8, wherein the message is transmitted on the telephone network as an SMS message, an MMS message or using other transmission protocols or services.

18. The method according to claim 8, wherein the further communication appliance is one of a wireless telephone or a pager.

19. The method according to claim 8, wherein the further communication appliance is a wireless telephone.

20. The method according to claim 8, wherein the flow of messages occurs automatically and is initiated by the medical appliance.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein in the communication appliance is adapted to assess whether or not the message needs to be forwarded to the further communication appliance.

22. An arrangement for transmitting a diabetes-related message from a diabetic to a remote person, comprising an insulin pump adapted to send a pump-related message via a short range radio network and one of a wireless telephone or pager adapted to receive the pump-related message via the short range radio network and, upon resultant automatic initiation, to send an SMS message or an MMS message reflecting the pump-related message to one of a further telephone or pager.

23. An arrangement for transmitting a diabetes-related message from a diabetic to a remote person, comprising a blood sugar meter adapted to send a meter-related message via a short range radio network and one of a wireless telephone or pager adapted to receive the meter-related message via the short range radio network and, upon resultant automatic initiation, to send an SMS message or an MMS message reflecting the meter-related message to one of a further telephone or pager.

24. An arrangement for transmitting a diabetes-related message from a diabetic to a remote person, comprising an insulin pump adapted to receive a message via a short range radio network, a blood sugar meter adapted to send a message via a short range radio network to the insulin pump, the insulin pump also being adapted to forward the message via a short range radio network, and a wireless telephone or a pager adapted to receive a message from the insulin pump via the short range radio network and, under resultant automatic initiation, to send an SMS message or MMS message containing the message from the insulin pump to a further telephone or a pager.

25. The arrangement according to claim 24, wherein the wireless telephone or the pager is adapted to check a message from the insulin pump or the blood sugar meter to determine whether or not it is a message which needs to be forwarded, whereupon the message is automatically forwarded or not forwarded.